Awakening (2 book series)
Awakening – Following Fate Chapter 110

"Meaning?" Colton interjects.

"They are close and whether they come this route or the other, they won't leave here without a fight. They won't leave without Juan and his men laid in a pool of their own blood. Varro isn't such a p***y cat that the life of his daughter remaining will sway him from decades of anger." The tension rises around me once more and the shift of bodies moving around me highlights we all feel the same.

"Do you know which way they approach?" Radar stands to shield us almost instinctively upon hearing our enemy moves close and Leyanne smiles somewhat absurdly for the strained atmosphere.

"Not yet, but my friends are keeping watch. As the crow flies.... Once they change route to advance, then we'll know." She shrugs, with a little smug twitch to the corner of her mouth.

"If they are moving then so should we. Get to the villagers and face down my father before they get here. We need to alert the people and those that can still fight should be with us. We've waited long enough. If they are close, then we don't have much longer to wait." Cesar is in bossy mode and like the rest of us, wants an end to this night before it has even begun.

My heart somersaults because I already knew the plan before he said the word, yet it still makes me afraid. Like a huge, monumental ball of darkness is swinging over our heads on a thin thread that is about to snap at any moment. No matter which way we dive and run, that ball will come crashing down on us because we can't dodge it.

"Let's move. There's no point in waiting any longer." Meadow cuts through the tense noise and brings us all to reality. "There's only so much planning we can do." Her tone tense, her words weighing us down with the truth within. NO matter how much we plan this out, it's never going to be the same as getting through it.

Colton nods his head to signal agreement and we all get up without anymore hesitation. My stomach in knots and light fading fast outside, we cannot delay any longer. The wind is in our favor as it's blowing away from the valley, but at the same time it means we won't smell the vampires approaching either. Our senses maybe overall heightened compared to humans but smell is still our strongest.

We file out of the truck quickly and quietly in an orderly fashion and wait while other vehicles empty before we play follow the leader and stealthily move into the forest nearby to spread into our designated teams. Colton moving behind me closely as we progress and his warmth cloaks me in the chilled night air. My guards and Sierra surrounding me, and it hits me with a deep dread that this feels as familiar as our mini war against the mountain. The sense of safe that Colton is with me is dampened down as my own anxiety swirls up inside my chest.

You know the plan. Stay close, don't stray from me. No matter what happens stay within the Luna's guard and by mom's and my side. Don't take any risks. We will get through this.

He links me, for my ears only, that soothing and protective way of his, and I nod back at him, turning in time to see him shedding clothes and tossing them aside to turn. That magnificent beauty as his black self appears and seems to take over the landscape with his sheer size. In a flash all the wolves follow suit and leave piles of clothes here in the shadows, dumped and discarded, while human flesh turns to fur and the air becomes eerily quiet. Even the creatures in this forest sense the change of form and go into scared hiding. Wolves reign supreme here and they know when to flee.

I swallow hard and push on behind my newly formed wall of furry protectors, Sierra moving to flank me on one side and I impulsively look around for Carmen. Blinking to adjust and nervous at the lack of her. She was in another truck, but I don't see her wolf figure yet and I want her here with me. I scan the space, pausing for a second before I am nudged in my spine gently by a warm touch.

She's coming. Stay focused. Colton inside my head and knowing exactly why I hesitate. I take a deep breath, trusting he has this all mapped out and move on into the dense wood. In here the light is filtered out dramatically and it almost feels like dusk already, so it takes a moment to get sued to the gloominess. It somehow feels like a Hollywood setting for an up-and-coming spectacular misty battle in the shade of a mountain, in the depths of a magical forest. I shudder with that thought and push it away fast.

I'm Scared. I link him back with impulsive nerves, my inner voice weak, and wavering, and again he nudges me with his nose. That sincere 'I'm here, it's okay' that brings me some sense of calm, yet not fully. I try to keep my eyes forward in a bid to adjust my night vision and flinch when that familiar femme leaps out right in front of me and scares me half to death. I inhale so sharply I have to stifle a choke.

Did you think I wasn't coming? Carmen paces back and forth in front of me in an almost seductive manner, glee at her ability to give me a scare, then rubs her skull against my left hand to show affection. Her mere presence somehow warms me to my core and despite being afraid, I feel more at peace seeing her with us. All four of us close now. Meadow, Sierra, and Carmen, together in one place to see this out to the end. My circle of femmes.

"Maybe for a moment" I smile, hushing my tone to a whisper to suit the emptiness around us and I'm quickly moved forward by my impatient mate with a nudge. He's riled up and ready to fight, his anticipation beginning to seep through to my own emotions and fill me with a buzzing kind of energy. I sigh with deflation and accept that this is happening, no matter how much I try to spread my hands and slow time around me.

We descend into the trees at a steady pace, heartbeat pumping inside my head and I know without a doubt, this night is going to be long.